The company has revealed that Netflix has crossed 10 million subscribers in Japan, a feat that the company recorded in the first half of this year. This impressive growth is due to the increasing popularity of its Japanese language programming that has started to gain a lot of traffic among the locals. Although the streaming service is still growing, it adapts its content selection to the local audience and gradually takes an adequate place in one of the most competitive countries for media consumption—Japan.
Netflix Japan Reaches 10 Million Subscribers on the Back of Hit Shows
The latest data shows that there are more than 2.5 times as many Netflix users today as there were four years ago; this proves that the Japanese public has changed the way it consumes content. One of the reasons for such growth is new Japanese-language series that attract domestic viewers, helping Netflix stand out from the traditional broadcasters. The range of colorful and non-traditional material has been one of the most attractive factors among the increasing number of subscribers.
The late releases of Netflix Japan can congratulate themselves on such hits as Tokyo Swindlers, The Queen of Villains, or a reality-romantic series, The Boyfriend. Not only have these programs gathered a huge viewership but also caused discussions on various platforms of social media, which further helped Netflix penetrate deeper into Japan. It indicates that the mixture of many genres along with the different peculiarities of narrations has become a phenomenon in the local context.
Kaata Sakamoto, Vice President of Content for Netflix Japan, said it proudly that these series have been successful. He said especially this year has been fun, lamenting that the aforementioned shows, among others, have been instrumental in the increase in the number of subscribers. Another uptrending Japanese language show again allays points to the need for localized content even in the international market.
Netflix’s operation in Japan perfectly illustrates how the company operates its business within local preferences worldwide while fully utilizing its IVC. Persistently churning out and marketing programs and content that are enjoyable to the Japanese populace, Netflix is set to expand its role in the country’s entertainment industry in the coming years.
Netflix Focuses on Local Content as Only Two English Shows Lead Japan Rankings
Since Netflix began disclosing its viewing rankings in 2021, only two English-language series have topped the charts in Japan: the new season of the American drama thriller television series Stranger Things and the movie version of one of the most recognizable Japanese manga, One Piece. These shows have been very popular in this region, but what stands out most is the fact that Netflix operates with a lot of localization. There is an inherent tendency in Japan to support domestic programs that influence the pattern of viewership and the kind of programs that are demanded.
Kaata Sakamoto, the NETFLIX JAPAN VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT, underlined the need to develop content that would meet Japanese viewers’ preferences. He noted that Japanese audiences watch content in Japanese and have an interest in Japanese content, leading Netflix to set its sights on local productions for Japan. On this notion, the company focuses on the creation of good Japanese language series, which would meet the expectations of the local audience.
The need for more domestic content is felt even more strongly amid Netflix’s recent collaboration with Hitoshi One, the director of the popular drama Tokyo Swindlers. Netflix especially has recently paid attention to the production of original Japanese shows; the show based on a real estate fraud group has also attracted the audience in Japan. This agreement, signed in September of this year for five years, shows Netflix’s interest in support of the entertainment industry of the Republic.
Sakamoto’s words about the preferences of Japanese content are an example of a new focus in the streaming industry on regional markets. Since local content is playing such a huge role in generating value, Netflix’s commissioning of Japanese dramas, reality shows, talk shows, game shows, and the like is meant to appeal to and lock in a faithful audience base. High-quality, culturally appropriate stories are the pillars that the company is successfully implementing in a rather saturated industry.
By recently enhancing cooperation with local Japanese creators and mainly concentrating on domestic productions, Netflix is set to not only stay indefinitely relevant in Japan but also grow constantly. The idea of internationalization complemented by localization remains one of the strategies applied by the platform to continue its growth and penetration of the second-largest economy in Asia.
Streaming Shifts: Japan Becomes Key Focus for Global Entertainment
Popular streaming platforms have gone ahead to open consumers minds when it comes to watching series and shows in foreign languages. Audiences have also become comfortable with watching series and flicks from countries they likely would not have under the global streaming platform. In the recent past, the entertainment market was found to be attracting players’ attentiveness due to its massive and creative market in Japan.
Despite this, Amazon has already been advancing its position of streaming Sega Sammy’s famous Yakuza game series. This move is quite significant since everyone in the world seems to love Japanese stories and animated characters. The streaming of such popular brands is not a mere experience that testifies to a new trend where streaming firms are shifting their focus towards the Asian country—Japan—to source content with uniqueness.
Sony is also not sitting idle in the Japan entertainment industry. Writing on Reuters’ website, tech giant in talks to acquire Kadokawa, one of Japan’s leading media conglomerates. This acquisition would complement Sony company’s entertainment segment, more so video game and anime divisions. Since the availability of streaming platforms further increases, getting such media moguls enables organizations to secure good content, which can appeal to anyone with their eyes set on the screens.
What’s more beneficial for Netflix? It turns out that the content from Japan is all the hit. According to the streaming giant’s latest tally, Japanese titles fall under the company’s third most-watched non-English content list, after Korean and Spanish content. Netflix is also rich in anime series, which are rapidly gaining new popularity: anime alone are watched more than 1 billion times per year; moreover, Japan has increased its role in the world of streaming.
The readiness of the streaming industry to look to Japan means that Japan and its content—be it anime or game shows, video games, or live-action television—move to the very center of entertainment strategies across the planet. Amazon and Netflix, by purchasing and investing in the Japanese media companies, are positioning themselves for future dominance in this ever-lucrative market.
